Olympian Oral History: Pat Mccormick, 1952 and 1956
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An Olympian’s Oral History PAT McCORMICK 1952 Olympic Games – Helsinki - Springboard Diving - Gold Medal - Platform Diving - Gold Medal 1956 Olympic Games – Melbourne - Springboard Diving - Gold Medal - Platform Diving - Gold Medal Interviewed by: Dr. Margaret Costa Edited by: Carmen E. Rivera Published by the LA84 Foundation 2141 West Adams Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90018 www.la84.org (c) LA84 Foundation, December 1999 PAT McCORMICK Today is Friday, July the 26th, 1991. This is Dr. Margaret Costa interviewing Patricia McCormick, gold medalist in the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympic Games, in both springboard diving and platform diving. Q: Tell me about your childhood. A: I was born in Seal Beach on top of a grocery store. I think this really emphasizes the lifestyle that I live. My mother, who was very loving and supportive, raised three of us by herself. I worked to help support the family from the time I was 10 years old. My brother was responsible for my involvement in athletics because I wanted to be just like him. We were good little urchins who had a lot of fun. Q: What games did you play as a child? A: Living in Seal Beach, as well as Santa Monica, we were always near the water. I cannot remember not knowing how to swim. As children we bodysurfed all the time during the warmer months. At Lowell Elementary School, which I attended, I was always the top in the Girls Athletic Association. I played all of the games, tennis, dodgeball and baseball, although I did not excel in team sports. It was a great thrill to be the fi rst one to be picked for teams. At age 10, I remember participating in adagio and athletics at Muscle Beach. I attribute my body strength, for which I became known in diving, to that part of my life. At Muscle Beach, I was constantly lifting men up off the ground. Because weight training was not a part of our normal training regimen in my era, I was fortunate to have those activities at Muscle Beach. Whether it was swimming, football or hop scotch, I just loved competition. As early as I can remember, we used to have little meets in Los Alamitos Bay. My fi rst meet, being a pier-to-pier swim, Belmont Shore to Long Beach, of approximately two miles out in the ocean. I came in second. One of the lessons I learned from that experience, and which has stayed with me all of my life, is that the bigger the prize, the bigger the price one has to pay. Another principle that I remember is that at the right time at the right place a teacher will appear. Someone had seen me at our little meets and invited me to go up to Los Angeles Athletic Club. Q: When did you fi rst recognize that you were highly talented? A: I am not sure. Athletics was always my friend. In athletics I could do something and be someone. Although my family had no money, our mother absolutely believed in us. My father was an alcoholic and in and out of the home, but my mother never spoke badly of him. He was my fantasy hero, and I believe my family background contributed to my need to excel. I believe winning in athletics can be attributed to the desire one has in one’s heart. As I get older, I can see how grateful I am that I had something to reach out to because there is no way I could have competed in anything that took money. I was a good ice skater, I love horses, but if anything I wanted to do required money, I had to earn it. Because athletics was the only path to achievement for me, I developed many skills in that area. The only approval I received at school and elsewhere was in athletics. Q: Do you remember your very fi rst swimming or diving competition? 2 A: It was at the Los Alamitos Bay in the Fiesta Bahia, a meet held every summer, organized by the Long Beach Recreation Department. The Fiesta Bahia leaders placed us in groups according to our age and ability. I was in the minnow program. The local YWCA also provided programs in which I participated. I used to mow lawns for a quarter, which would take care of my bus fare to the Y, as well as a candy bar. I also cleaned houses and ironed to earn money for recreation. It was always a big deal to eat in the cafeteria at the Y. Q: Tell me about the Y program. A: At the Y they gave badges for which I loved to work hard to achieve. Those badges would motivate me to go from one little group to the next, to the next. Q: Was there anyone at the Y who particularly infl uenced you? A: Yes, Millie Heath, because I was always in trouble, either talking too much or chewing gum. As one of my fi rst counselors, Millie tried to provide guidance for me. Pete Archer was another great infl uence on my life, as he would give me help with diving. For example, when I was learning the half gainer, he told me to go out and kick a football in order to get the proper feel for the dive. Although I loved swimming, I found diving a lot more fun. My brother and I would try all of the different dives on our own. We would enter ourselves in all of the little meets in the city. Q: Did you enter the diving competition on your own initiative or was this after you had received encouragement from Pete? A: I would not say that I had lessons. I would go up to Pete and ask him how to do certain dives, and he would give me some ideas. I think he was one of the lifeguards during the summer. I was never on an organized team before I joined the L.A. Athletic Club. Q: Who invited you to join the L.A. Athletic Club? A: I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I was down at the bay in Belmont Shores one Friday, and Aileen Allen, coach from the L.A. Athletic Club, saw me springing on the board. She invited me to the LAAC, so I journeyed up there on the Red Trolley. My mother used to give tea readings, and when she would get a dollar, she would give me the money for the Red Trolley fare. I had a friend who sometimes took me to Los Angeles, as well. I will never forget walking into that building for the fi rst time, with bare feet. I was just overwhelmed because I had never seen anything so fancy, so wonderful, and the pool was on the fi fth fl oor. I went up there and met Sammy Lee and Vicki Draves, who are still two of the greatest divers in the world. From that minute on my dream was to attend the Olympic Games, not necessarily to win, but to attend. Sammy said that when he fi rst saw me he did not believe that I would ever make a team. Not having the skills to do something I want to do has been the story of my life. Whether it was college or diving or being a parent, I have had to develop my own skills and knowledge on my own in order to be successful. Q: What was Aileen’s method of coaching? 3 A: Aileen Allen was not a great coach. I was more afraid of her than anything. The diving team at that time was so strong that we taught each other. If I were late, because the trolley was late, Aileen would send me back home. Even though she was a very serious person, I did not mind, because I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world to have the opportunity to belong to the diving team. Belonging to the diving team gave me a goal for the fi rst time in my life. An added incentive was the exposure I received to the world’s best divers. The best competition always came from the United States divers, most of whom were at my club. I believe if you want to be good, you should surround yourself with winners. One of the best winners and one of the most precious human beings is Vicki Draves. Q: Would Vicki act as a peer coach for you? A: All of the great divers helped me. They would say, “Get your hips up,” or “You are not getting your hurdle up in your board work,” or “You are dropping your head on the entry.” Aileen Allen was the kind of coach who gave you opportunities as long as you were willing to work hard. Working hard also meant being punctual and following instructions. Q: Do you remember your fi rst meet as an LAAC diver? A: Yes. My fi rst meet was at the Pasadena Athletic Club. The reason I remember it so well is that the fi rst dive I did I was so scared that I held onto a jackknife, I got the judges wet, and everybody was roaring. I went into the shower and cried and cried and cried because I thought they were laughing at me. They were laughing at the fact that I got the judges wet. There were always the Vickis and the Sams that were there encouraging me to keep working.